


Silver Dove

by HarrietSilverwynd



Series: Dhaivhliaverse [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Not Canon Compliant, OC backstory, i know ya'll hate these but the sequel has Marvel characters dw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29965329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarrietSilverwynd/pseuds/HarrietSilverwynd
Summary: Dhaivhlia Stern is an Earthrylite- an ancient species native to the island of Celeslei that sealed itself away from society decades ago. Now, with the threat of war rising more so than ever, Dhaivhlia begins to question her family's true intentions and who she is meant to be.This will tie heavily into future Avengers fics.
Series: Dhaivhliaverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2203989





	1. Origin

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for choosing to read my story. Here are a few things to take into consideration before reading.
> 
> This is an AU. I am not considering this to be a head-canon tie-in.
> 
> The most recent Marvel film released at the time of this story's creation is Spiderman: Far From Home. Any events that take place after the film do not occur in this universe.
> 
> This story is filed under "Avengers" because I have a sequel, and then two other Avengers fics planned that correspond with this story.
> 
> "The Snap" WILL fit in to this story! I have an explanation ready, just bear with!
> 
> "Earthrylite" is pronounced "Eth-rill-light" and "Dhaivhlia" is pronounced "Daha-lee-ea". It's meant to be a name configured from the made-up language once used in the setting of this fic. Apologies for any crazy spellings, I'm simply trying to create a culture for my fic.
> 
> PLEASE leave a review! I love to hear what other people think!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and on with the show! -HarrietSilverwynd

The wind was cruel that evening. A wicked, icy breeze that swept through every silent street and illuminated alley. The faint trickle of light could be seen dancing in and out of windows and the sound of laughter echoed throughout the otherwise silent night.

A mother and her children, one boy and one girl, slipped quietly out of the dimly lit doorway of a restaurant. The young girl, no older than four, skipped merrily ahead whilst her brother, tall and with seven years of age on to him, slunk between the shadows, cautious of who might spot their departure. The young girl paused at a trellis of flowers decorating the otherwise barren alleyway and looked at her mother with hopeful eyes. Her brother swiftly approached her and moved her hands away from the blooms.

"No, Dhaivhlia," he said, steering her away from the trellis. "We mustn't. Not in public."

The little girl looked up at him with confusion. "Why? We can make the whole wall pretty, and then everyone who lives here will be happy, because there will be pretty colours!"

"No," said her brother again, gently, "Come on. Grandfather and Xeroux are waiting with the car. We must get going." The two children turned away from the wall.

"Wait, Silvio."

Their mother's calm voice echoed down the silent alleyway. Both children spun on their heels, Silvio a little more reluctantly. He looked at his mother with wonder. They couldn't. It was too risky. That was what he had always been told. It was the first lesson his Grandfather had ever taught him- an Earthrylite must never reveal themselves to the public eye.

Silvio pulled a puzzled expression. Whatever could his mother want, to remain in this dingy alleyway any longer? He, personally, did not understand why they couldn't have celebrated Dhaivhlia's birthday back at home with safe, high walls and guards at every corner. His sister's favourite restaurant was certainly not his dream destination. His eyes caught on to the slight movement of possible civilians outside the alley. His mind quickly filled with rage. He recalled what his Grandfather had told him about humans- humans would try to hurt and destroy them. He must try to destroy them first. He turned back to his mother, who had carried Dhaivhlia back to the blossoming trellis, her little arms reaching out with excitement. He quickly ran over to them, only to be caught by his mother's firm arms.

"Are you going to help us?" Odette said, smiling down at her son. He gazed up at her with a mix of worry and excitement on his face. "Do not worry. It is perfectly safe- no one will see us here."

Dhaivhlia smiled up at her brother. "Please? I can't do it yet!"

Silvio relented as he took the end of one of the dangling vines off the bottom of the trellis into his hand. His mother did the same whilst little Dhaivhlia watched in awe. Odette turned her head to look at him.

"Ready?"

He nodded; all worry that he had had now replaced with excitement. He watched as the vine in his mother's soft white hand suddenly grew, new buds forming and blossoming before his very eyes. He tilted his head upwards as the vine expanded, weaving its way between cracked bricks and rusted signs. Dhaivhlia gave a small clap of awed approval. This was the best birthday gift she had received that day- the chance to make other people feel safe and happy, as safe and happy as her mother made her. Odette turned to her son.

"Now you. Make them glow, like you did with the flowers at home."

Silvio took a deep breath and concentrated all his thoughts to glowing flowers. He felt the energy rush to his palms and be absorbed by the vine's tendrils. Their heads turned to the blossoms as they softly began to glow. Silvio himself glowed with pride as he heard his sister's soft clapping in his ears. He was lost in the awe of the moment, slowly breathing in the beauty. It took him and his mother only a little over a moment to realise that the faint applause had come to a sudden halt.

Both spun around quickly to face several men surrounding them. One had a hand over Dhaivhlia's mouth, the other restraining her from running away. Odette's expression quickly switched from one of concern to one of anger. She let out a small hiss.

"Let my daughter go."

Silvio cowered behind his mother. He wasn't sure what he ought to do. Should he try to rescue his sister? Or should he remain by his mother's side, ready to fight? He looked towards the circle of men that opposed them. They were surprisingly young; mid-twenties to early-thirties, but he knew they meant them harm. It was the way of humans; his Grandfather had explained to him. The jealousy they have for the abilities of creatures akin to them forms a sharp hatred that they release in manners of destruction and aggression. It was the reason of how the Wars came to be. It was why they went into hiding on this greatly secluded island- and now they had been found.

The men advanced towards them. Dhaivhlia struggled in grasp of the man handling her, tears streaming down her cheeks. The biggest of their group spat purposefully towards Odette.

"You're a bunch of those native freaks, huh? Those war-bringers."

Odette curled her mouth into a sneer.

"Perhaps."

The man gave a harsh laugh.

"Of course, you are. We saw your unnatural meddling with the blossoms. And here I was thinking we exterminated all you native demons ages ago."

"Clearly you were mistaken," Odette replied, the slightest tremor of fear detectable in her seemingly calm voice. She leaned towards her son and whispered in his ear. "Run. Run, Silvio. Get to the car, get your Grandfather, get Xeroux and stay there."

She cleared her throat. "I will deal with these men myself."

The men watched as the vines that were once above them were now creeping across the ground and wrapping themselves around their ankles. Their cries of pain and surprise were accompanied by the raging screams of Odette, hands moving at a great speed as she desperately tried to contain them all. Silvio took this moment of distraction to bolt in the direction of the awaiting car.

Dhaivhlia cried out in fear as the men struck against her mother, using brute force to fight the oncoming vines. Odette looked at her daughter in panic before manipulating a vine to wind itself around the throat of the man who stood near her and hoist him up in the air, choking him. Dhaivhlia looked around in bewildered, terrified confusion. Who was good? Who was bad? The men were bad- they tried to hurt them. But here her mother was, choking and throwing the same men into the ground. Dhaivhlia pressed herself further into a dark corner of the alley. She felt the ground around her rumble as great stone spikes shot from below the paving, encaging them in a prison of rubble, her mother standing in the middle.

She watched as her mother fought off each man one by one, trapping them in tight twists of ugly stone triangles or watching their faces turn blue as tight vines wound their way around their throats. Only Dhaivhlia, in her sweet innocence noticed the fear hiding in the young men's eyes. The very same terror that had currently overtaken her. Odette was so focused on the circle of attackers around her that she failed to notice the one man perched on the edge. Dhaivhlia spotted a gleam of silver among the man's black attire. She opened her mouth to yell at her mother in an attempt to warn her of the peril about to come, but her cries were lost to the steady rumble of the misshapen stone boulders protruding in and out of the ground around her. Odette never saw the man approach. She was in the midst of strangling one of his fellow accomplices when the searing pain from behind took her by surprise. As swiftly as they had appeared, the great stone spikes and seemingly endless ropes of vine quickly disappeared.

The man found his way on top of Odette, holding her body down whilst he stabbed her again and again. The other man struggling to breathe next to them, having been freed from the vines circling his throat when he was only inches from death. Odette's arms flailed as she desperately tried to push the man off of her, but it was all to no avail. She gave her terrified daughter one last, loving look before the knife was brough down deep into her heart. The man let out a breath.

"There," he whispered to his accomplice, "The demon is dead."

He turned to the corner where Dhaivhlia was cowering and narrowed his eyes.

"Now for the leftovers."

He let out a shaky breath before advancing towards Dhaivhlia, away from her mother's poor, lifeless, bleeding body. Dhaivhlia did nothing; she just sank to the floor slowly and let the tears run down her face. The sudden patter of frantic footsteps and angry cries behind the men made them turn swiftly on their tails and scurry away in the opposite direction, leaving Dhaivhlia crying on the ground.

Silvio mad a beeline for his mother's lifeless body. This was his fault. He hadn't got help soon enough. He turned and wept into his Grandfather's shoulder as he sank down beside him. His Grandfather gently tilted his daughter's head towards him, and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

"This is why we must hide," he whispered. "This is why we must isolate." His whispers rose to an angry shout. "This is what the humans will do!"

Silvio turned away from his mother to the corner of the alley in which his sister had hid. She was now howling in Xeroux's arms, her tears staining his black suit. He said nothing, but he carried her all the way back to the car whilst she cried all down his back. The humans had done this to such a sweet, innocent little girl. He knew it wasn't his place to speak out- he was just a butler after all- but he raised his eyes to meet her Grandfather's. They shared the same look of pain, of rage, of sorrow, before he handed her over to him so that he could drive them all home safely. Dhaivhlia dreamed that night of pitch-black alleyways and blood-drenched blossoms. No matter how much she tossed and turned, she could never expel the nightmares from her mind.

Every time she awoke screaming, Xeroux was always waiting outside her door. He would lull her back to sleep. He would let her cry on his shoulder. He would do whatever her Grandfather ordered him to do. A mother's lifeless, bleeding body, he thought, was something her little daughter ought never to see.

But alas, the world is never a kind place to live. The scent of war was fresh again in the atmosphere and the years to come would only solidify its possibility.


	2. Twelve Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Alright! Part Two! Look at me go! Thank you so much for returning to read my fic!
> 
> Pronunciations in this chapter (and one I missed out from "Origin")
> 
> "Xeroux" is pronounced "Zeh-row"
> 
> "Yyilict" is pronounced "Ill-ill-ict"
> 
> "Arylite" is pronounced "Are-ril-light"
> 
> Now, enough with the pronunciations and on with the show!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd

"Earthrylites were an ancient species once native to Celeslei. They had the ability to manipulate the natural world around them, and built a whole community surrounding the Yyilict Falls on the west coast of the island. The distinct stone pillars are speculated to be the work of the Earthrylites that first settled down there.

The Earthrylite species slipped into extinction just over two decades ago. Whilst there have been a few "sightings" in the past, these incidents have been disproven and traced back to gang activity and attention seeking activists. The term "Earthrylite" originates from the ancient Celese word "Arylite", meaning "manipulation" or "unnatural control". Earthrylites were rightfully classified as demons, beings that manipulated the natural world around them to their advantage. The aggression and audacity of this subspecies was the reason the Celese-Earthrylite War of the East broke out in 1944, where many Earthrylite lives were lost to the wonders of new, modern technology.

By the mid-1920's, the Earthrylite population had decreased dramatically due to presumed famine and disease. Nobody quite rightly knows what caused this sudden drop in numbers as the Earthrylites refused to adapt to modern society, choosing instead to reside by the Yyilict Falls where they- _Miss Stern, are you listening?!_ "

The entire class spun around in their seats to crane their necks at the girl sitting at back of the classroom, legs spread over two unoccupied desks. The History lecturer, Ms. Mughal, stampeded up to the sprawled student, who merely cocked her head.

"Well, Miss Stern? Is there anything you have to say for yourself?" she enquired, hands on hips in that annoyed voice that only teachers could somehow do.

Dhaivhlia Stern gave her teacher a smirk as she pulled one earphone out of her left ear.

"Nothing in particular, no," she said in her smooth, accented voice. "Why? Ought I to listen to this explicit historic nonsense you are spouting?"

Ms. Mughal pulled a ferocious expression, which quickly flattened out into deadpan despair.

"Ah well," she said, spinning around to face the class, classroom keys clinking on the metal of her belt. "What more could we ever expect from _Miss Dhaivhlia Stern_ , anyway? Flails around aimlessly in every lesson yet always comes top of every class."

Dhaivhlia crossed her legs smugly. Ms. Mughal placed her hands on the desk on which the girl was perched on top of.

"How is it, hmm?" she enquired, leaning closer to the girl. "How on Earth does someone who does nothing but cheek all her teachers always pass with flying colours? Surely, somebody with that attitude would fail unanimously?"

Dhaivhlia smirked. "You seem extremely peeved, Miss. Would you rather I failed? Perhaps I ought to begin to do so. What a wonderful reflection of you teaching ability that would be, should the Principal catch wind of your statement."

Ms. Mughal recoiled with mild shock. Dhaivhlia sprang to her feet and gave the class a bow, her long blue hair enveloping her grinning face. The class gave a small round of applause, only to be silenced with a fiery glare from their lecturer. Ms. Mughal let out a small breath before turning back to the girl.

"Miss Stern," she said, her eyes pointing daggers at the mischievous teen. "Why don't you and I have a lovely little conversation after school in one of the detention rooms about attitude and manners?"

Dhaivhlia pulled an expression of mock-anguish. "Believe me when I say, Miss, I would absolutely _love_ to. Unfortunately, as you and I both very well know, or, at least I presumed you to be aware of, I cannot stay after school hours for reasons I daren't go into in public,"

Dhaivhlia flashed the teacher another mischievous grin. "We would not desire to delve into that territory now, _would_ we?"

Ms. Mughal suddenly looked very panicked.

"Oh! No, no, definitely not," she stammered, remembering how fearsome the girl's Grandfather could be regarding detentions and punishments. Her expression of fear quickly switched to one of anger as the class's tittering laughter caught her ears.

"The rest of you, however," she snapped, strutting back towards the front of the classroom. "I expect to see you all in detention with me after school."

The entire class let out a unanimous sigh of bother. Ms. Mughal glanced to the girl still standing idly at the back of the classroom. "Miss Stern, I'll see you during lunch hour tomorrow, do you understand me?"

Dhaivhlia pulled an innocent expression. "Certainly, Miss," she said as she began to slip her possessions back into her worn denim satchel. The rest of the class followed suit, gathering up their own belongings and snatching a few minutes of chatter before the dreaded detention. Dhaivhlia glanced at the slim silver watch that sat on her wrist.

"And three, two, one…" she muttered just as the bell rang out to signify the end of school. Every student in the room quickly darted out of their seats and filtered out into the corridor. Dhaivhlia skipped merrily out of the classroom, closing the door elegantly with her foot behind her. Ms. Mughal turned towards the sudden commotion and indicated for the students to wait outside the next-door detention room. She was not expected to be met by Dhaivhlia smiling sweetly at her through the small glass window, innocently dangling her classroom keys in front of her. She had slipped them silently into her bag whilst Ms. Mughal was lecturing her about attitude.

Ms. Mughal dived for the door handle just as the key went *click*. She pounded on the door, waving her hands wildly at the entourage of students outside, indicating for them to set her free. Dhaivhlia too, pirouetted on the spot to face her fellow classmates before doing a small bow and skipping over to the lockers opposite the door. She carefully threw the keys to the tallest boy in the year, who deftly set them in the darkest corner of the dustiest locker he could find. Every single student gave a great cheer before dispersing, each heading their own separate ways. Dhaivhlia darted towards the main entrance, slipping gracefully between closing doors and groups of students like a shadow in the night. She half-ran and half-stumbled down the great stone steps that lead up to the school, long blue hair flying in the wind. She only stopped moving when her entire body somehow connected with one of the birch trees that sat in the wide school grounds. Climbing back on her feet in an extremely unladylike manner, Dhaivhlia looked left and right. As per usual, the imposing black limousine was snaking its way between awaiting vehicles towards her.

Dhaivhlia spun around blindly in a panic as the car drew nearer. Her eyes scanned her surroundings for an escape. Her legs moved like clockwork as she belted down the driveway, narrowly avoiding the oncoming vehicles. The limousine grew bigger and bigger as she ran further down the concrete road. Suddenly it was no more than a foot in front of her. Dhaivhlia stopped to take a deep breath as it slowed down directly in front of her. Then, praying her knees wouldn't suddenly buckle (As they had a habit of doing so at the _most_ inconvenient of times) she took a running leap and slid extremely ungracefully across its black metal bonnet, almost catching her bag on the windscreen-wipers and fell onto her hands and knees on the other side. Brushing herself down as fast as she could, Dhaivhlia quickly sprinted off in the direction she usually ran away in; towards a nearby neighbourhood crammed with small alleyways and sharp corners in the blind hope she always carried with her that the limousine would eventually give up chasing her and turn tail.

Dhaivhlia heard the rumble of a revving engine behind her, but she didn't dare look back. She had places she needed to be, though she rarely made it to her desired destination. Darting into the extremely narrow opening of a nearby street, she allowed herself to relax a little and soften her pace. The car couldn't follow her here. She knew these alleyways like the back of her hand- the car would have to take the much wider, longer main road that circled them. Dhaivhlia let out a small sigh of relief before returning to slipping between small openings and vault over several walls, her mind set on finally completing the one task she aimed to attempt every day. Squeezing between two chained-together wire gates, Dhaivhlia couldn't help but wonder if once, just once, she would be able to evade her persistent automobile stalker. Slipping her earphones back into her ears, Dhaivhlia carefully clambered over a half-painted fence before continuing to dart between narrow openings and crumbling walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ta-da! Part two!
> 
> What do you think? Do you like Dhaivhlia? Let me know what you think of her!
> 
> As always, PLEASE leave me a review. It doesn't have to be big, heck, even "I like this" is satisfactory to me.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd


	3. (I Feel I've Got To) Run Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all so much for all the positive feedback I received for the previous two chapters! I can't express how happy I am that other people enjoy reading my fic as much as I love writing it!
> 
> No complicated pronunciations in this chapter. Yay!
> 
> As always, please feel free to leave a review on any aspect of the chapter you want.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd

Dhaivhlia stopped in her tracks, listening intently for the slow rumble of the engine of the perusing car. Satisfied that is was not near her, she pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket. Flipping through the limited music choices she had on there, she settled for her all-time favourite – "Tainted Love". Dhaivhlia was a firm believer that any fight-or-chase scene was ten times better with 80's music and eleven times better when said fight-or-chase scene featured her. The opening bars blaring in her ears, Dhaivhlia smoothed down her hair before continuing to squeeze herself through the smallest cracks she could find.

_"Sometimes I feel I've got to run away…"_

The music provided a pleasant distraction for Dhaivhlia, pushing her worries of being caught by a certain automobile on hold. She enjoyed the breeze in her hair as she ran, swinging over fallen rubble and scuffing her knees as she misjudged a vault over a half-caved-in wall. Still, she got back up again and continued running, bobbing along to the song. Dhaivhlia began to smile as more and more of her surroundings became familiar. She was almost there. Whipping around a corner, Dhaivhlia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She'd almost made it. Finally.

Dhaivhlia opened her eyes just in time for her to crash head-first into a roadworks sign, exactly to the final beat of the song.

Dhaivhlia sat up groggily. _God, her head hurt._ She shook her head- why was everything blurry? Perhaps it was because her circular rose-gold glasses were dangling in front of her, tangled in her hair. Slipping them back up onto her nose, she stood up carefully only to bang her head on the sign yet again and sink back down. Wrinkling her nose in pain, she shuffled to the left where her phone lay discarded. She pulled a face at the sign.

"That was not there before," she muttered angrily, gathering her minimal things and putting them back into her tattered denim satchel. Quickly she checked if the large cream scrapbook was still safely secured in the lining of the bag. Satisfied that her prize possession was safe, she was just about to rise onto her feet when an all-too-familiar limousine creeped up beside her. Groaning inwardly, Dhaivhlia turned to look at the car as the blackout driver's-side window rolled down mockingly. Xeroux's grinning face greeted her glaring one. He laughed as he checked his watch.

"Two minutes and thirty seconds," he said, "Not bad."

"Oh, be quiet," said Dhaivhlia as she clambered in the back of the limousine. "How much trouble do you think I'll be in?"

"The usual," Xeroux replied, reversing out on to the main road. He looked in the rearward-facing mirror as he drove and noticed the teen's sullen expression. "Why so moody? Well, moodier than usual."

Dhaivhlia fiddled with the red belt of her knee-length trench coat.

"I'd almost made it." she muttered angrily.

Xeroux pushed a blond hair off his forehead. "You know you're not allowed there."

"When has that information ever prevented me from attempting to anyway?"

"Never," Xeroux shook his head fondly. "I could _race_ limousines at this rate. That might even make me a better living. Ten years of chasing you down all those twists and turns and I haven't even got a raise."

"Quit then," came the surly reply.

Xeroux laughed. "No thanks. I'd rather your Grandfather didn't have my guts for garters. Yours are surely enough."

Dhaivhlia let her lips form into a small smile. She twisted the silver-dove pendant she wore around her neck with her fingers absent-mindedly. Xeroux caught her eye in the mirror.

"Are you _allowed_ to wear that to school?"

Dhaivhlia shrugged, twisting the many silver rings that aligned her fingers around and around. Jewellery-making was one of the things she excelled at most. Clumps of silver could frequently be found among the mess in the girl's bag, ready to be shaped into a pendant or ring. "He's never told me not to."

"He shouldn't have to! It was your mothers-"

_"Which gives me every permission to adorn it!"_

Dhaivhlia's reply was sharp, and stung in the atmosphere in the car. Xeroux sighed.

"Your Grandfather does care about you, you know."

Dhaivhlia gave a snort. "He only keeps me around as another pawn for his plans. Even I know that. I'm not as uneducated as you all presume me to be."

"He wants what's right for all of us. What our species has sought after for years."

"Mmhm."

A tense silence filled the car. Dhaivhlia fiddled with her waist-length blue hair, plaiting one of the front strands, noticing several cuts and grazes on her lily-white hand from her attempted escape. Taking out a mirror, she inspected herself fully, discovering more cuts on her arms and a horrible brick-coloured stain down the front of her jacket. Xeroux smiled. The girl's vanity was one of the only traits she shared with him.

"Admiring ourselves, are we?"

"As if you don't." she quipped.

"I don't. Other people do it for me. I have the maids practically begging at my knees, I'll have you know."

Dhaivhlia let out a small giggle, which was quickly replaced with an anxious sigh as she saw that they had reached their destination. A pair of vast silver gates swung open to allow the limousine to enter the grounds of the grand manor that was in front of them. Xeroux peered in the mirror and noticed how scared the girl suddenly looked. Smoothing down her hair, Dhaivhlia swung her legs neatly out of the car. Xeroux followed her, looking at her with concern.

"You O.K?" he asked, as the girl shook back her long aqua locks.

An expression of fear crossed Dhaivhlia's face before it smoothed out into put-on content. She looked at him out of the corner of her blue-grey eye.

"Fine." she said, avoiding eye contact.

Xeroux sighed. "If you say so," he said, approaching the great front door. Dhaivhlia trailed slowly behind, praying Xeroux hadn't noticed her shaking. All day long, she had worn a mask. A mask she wore to protect herself and to protect others from her. But as soon as she placed one foot over the threshold, the mask began to break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Voila! Part three! This is more a Dhaivhlia character development chapter than an action-driven chapter. But don't worry- I promise you all more action is to come!
> 
> What do you think? Why is Dhaivhlia feeling this way? What about Xeroux- do you like him? PLEASE leave me a review telling me what you think- I'm open to all ideas!
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for reading!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd


	4. Mirror Images

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah-bah! Another chapter! You wanted to know why Dhaivhlia is so cocky, so here is a little look into her home life.
> 
> Please leave a review letting me know what you thought of this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for returning to read my fic!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd

"You."

The harsh whisper was barely audible, but to Dhaivhlia it was like rolling thunder. She winced in fear and froze on the spot, causing Xeroux to bump into her from behind. He looked around cautiously, tilting his head respectfully to a figure draped in the shadows from the grand staircase. Xeroux cleared his throat nervously.

"Sir."

The figure moved into the light of the open doorway. Wrinkled hands adorned with heavy gold rings slipped into personally-tailored pockets. Slicked-back silver hair glinted in the half-daylight. Sly lips curled into a cruel sneer.

"Now, what did I say about little jaunts after school?"

Dhaivhlia held her head up high in what she hoped was a seemingly-fearless manner.

"Grandfather," she said, her voice cracking slightly. The older man cast her a look of mock-pity.

"Nervous, are we?" he sneered, leaning in so that their faces were almost touching. He noticed the beginning of what seemed to be tears forming in the corners of the girl's eyes.

"How _pathetic."_

Dhaivhlia attempted to look her Grandfather in the eye. Two deep blue eyes met their eldered mirror copies. She felt her shoulders begin to quake with nerves. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Silvestro let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

"Why so silent? I gather that to the outside world you are quite the loquacious annoyance."

Dhaivhlia dropped his gaze. Her fingers automatically fiddled with her mother's necklace, twisting it tighter and tighter, their tips growing purple. Her Grandfather suddenly grasped Dhaivhlia's fingers firmly. Too firmly- his grasp enhanced the pool of purple rippling on her fingertips.

"Now, now," he ridiculed, smiling at her cruelly with identical slim lips to hers. "No need to fret. I'm only doing what's best for you."

Dhaivhlia felt increased pressure on her fingers as Silvestro's hand clasped her mother's necklace and ripped it from her neck, snapping the delicate silver-link chain. Dhaivhlia gave a cry of anguish and fell to the floor, catching the pendant before it could bounce off the polished marble tiles. Her Grandfather grabbed her by the shoulder and carelessly hauled her upright, slamming her into the doorframe and causing her to lose her grip on the silver-dove pendant. She felt something shift in her shoulder as her body came into contact with the huge wooden doorframe. _"Great,"_ she thought, _"That's the third busted shoulder this week."_ She stumbled to the side, only to be supported by the sudden hands of Xeroux.

"Sir," he breathed, a pained expression on his face. "Don't you think that's quite enough?"

Silvestro looked at him with thunder. Xeroux quickly subsided his thoughts but kept a firm, yet light grip on Dhaivhlia's shoulder as he felt the girl begin to shake. Dhaivhlia tilted her head so she was gazing directly at her Grandfather, who had swept up the flat little silver bird charm and was cradling it almost fondly. Daringly, Dhaivhlia reached out and snatched it from his grasp, much to her surprise. She had never struck out against her Grandfather before. Silvestro turned to her sharply, and she could see the raging fire in his eyes that were all-too similar to her own. Silvestro raised his hand swiftly, as if to snatch the pendant back again. Xeroux subtly caught his eye.

"Sir," he whispered, hands still firmly on Dhaivhlia's shoulders. "Don't- "

"Silence!" Silvestro hissed, casting Xeroux a ferocious glare. "I will talk to you later, Xeroux. You may go."

Xeroux's eyes widened in panic. "But Sir, I- "

"Go! I expect you at the _meeting_ tonight. Until then, _leave._ "

Xeroux sighed. He gave Dhaivhlia's shoulders one last, hopeful squeeze before doing a small bow and walking away into the maze of hallways and staircases. Dhaivhlia shivered. Silvestro turned back to his Granddaughter.

"As for you," he said coyly, raising his hand yet again to slick back a stray hair. "I expect _you_ at that little _gathering_ as well. Do you understand?"

Dhaivhlia gave a small nod of her head, the coolness of the pendant a foreign sensation against the heat of her quivering body. Silvestro turned away in thought, and Dhaivhlia took this opportunity to begin to subtly slip away.

"Oh," said Silvestro, forcing Dhaivhlia to stop in her tracks and wince at his words. "One more thing."

Dhaivhlia spun back around to face her Grandfather, only to be greeted by a strong, sharp slap. She felt his many gold rings, mirror images in all but colour to the ones she adorned, indent into her skin. A slim trickle of blood spouted from her forehead- her high forehead, just like her Grandfather's. Her face stung as he looked her in the eye. Silvestro lowed his voice to almost a growl.

"Stay out of trouble, you asensiaz pepanzé," he hissed in her ear, before disappearing down the long corridor. Dhaivhlia was left standing there, ears stinging, as she watched her Grandfather enter the passcode for an elevator and descend downwards. Only then did she sink to the smooth marble floor in a messy heap of blue hair and tears, clutching her mother's pendant over her heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> "asensiaz pepanzé"- "sly bitch" in Celeste
> 
> A smaller chapter this time, but I hope you all enjoyed it! As always, PLEASE, for all the tea in China, leave me a small review to tell me what you thought of this chapter, I know this chapter was not very action-packed at all, but the next few are going to be much more plot-centred than action-sequences.
> 
> What did you all think? Do you feel sorry for Dhaivhlia? What about Xeroux, how do you think he feels? What do you think of Silvestro Stern, Dhaivhlia's narcissistic Grandfather? Let me know!
> 
> I don't think this chapter came out very well, but it ended perfectly for me to move on to the next.
> 
> Thanks again for reading!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd


	5. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Sorry I've been away so long. A lot of stuff came up in my life. I had a covid-19 scare (OK now) and then I didn't feel... happy. But writing this made me feel so much better.
> 
> Anyway, chapter five! As per usual, please leave me a review- I'll try to push out updates more consistently now.
> 
> No actual pronunciations needed for this chapter, but if you want to say 'Basil' as 'Bah-zil' (I am British), then that's how I imagine Dhaivhlia saying it too.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd

Curling her toes around the edge of each smooth stone slab as their sharp edges pushed through the soles of her shoes, Dhaivhlia carefully made her way down the cold tower stairs. Tear stains were still fresh on her cheeks, but she had eventually managed to come back into her senses and move from her position of collapse on the hard marble floor. Blood still trickled from the deep dent her Grandfather's rings had created in her forehead, and she worried that it would leave a scar. Her glasses felt odd too- perhaps the nose-piece had twisted again in recoil from the slap. These worries accompanied her down the staircase, bouncing around in her brain. Soon Dhaivhlia found herself at the bottom, facing a small wooden door. Silver pendant still clutched in her hand, she pushed against the door with her good shoulder and entered the bright bedchamber that lay far below the grand Yyilict Manor's upper interior.

Dhaivhlia did not have many things to love in her life, in fact she had only three- her bedroom, her lab, and, well, _herself_. For many, being cast away to a small room deep below a great stone tower may seem like a punishment, but to Dhaivhlia it was her escape from everything. Nobody ever came down here, only herself.

The room, for its small size, was decorated lavishly. Canvas paintings of various birds were scattered all over its four plain blue walls. Dhaivhlia had painted them herself. Birds were, to her, all that she would never be- beautiful, elegant, free. Celeslei had no birds. In fact, they had little wildlife at all. Lab-grown meat, faux fur textiles, any non-native (and native, there were few) animal would be a wonder to be seen there.

A small window-seat-come-bed was tucked in a nook by a great glass panel that overlooked the great cliff drop outside, surrounded by bookcases. In another corner sat a tall wardrobe, a mannequin with a half-finished pink dress clinging onto it. Dhaivhlia's small white desk rested against the longest wall and a wide fluffy white rug took up most of the floor. Dropping her battered satchel beside the desk and placing her mother's pendant on top, she made her way over to the wardrobe and examined herself in the mirror attached to the inside of the door.

Edging the blue spaghetti-strap of her dress down her arm, she examined the red mark left on the shoulder that her Grandfather had rammed into the doorway. A pulled muscle, perhaps. Nothing she hadn't experienced before. Kicking off her simple navy shoes, Dhaivhlia swiped up the pendant from her desk and slipped through the small doorway that was by her desk.

The room that the doorway lead into was Dhaivhlia's lab. Here, she constructed all her treasures; silver statues, silver rings, the room shimmered with silver. Another desk with a complex computer sat in the far corner, surrounded by manuals and pamphlets. Here, Dhaivhlia could catch a rare glimpse of life outside Celeslei- this was her treasured secret. Years of being trapped inside with nothing but a hyperactive brain and an overindulgent library had made Dhaivhlia quite the technological genius. The island nation knew little of the world outside their borders, however Dhaivhlia could paint a clearer picture than many. She would spend hours on end reading about the outside world, and all the wonderous mishaps that faced it. Dhaivhlia marvelled over incredible scientists like Dr. Banner, idolised heroes such as Tony Stark and wondered if she would ever be able to see the world for herself. In fact, it was this escape, this bliss, that also caused her pain, for she had nobody to discuss this escape with. Sometimes it felt like a curse- she could know all the secrets of the outside world, yet share them with nobody.

Dhaivhlia deposited the pendant on one of the many workbenches that filled the bright white room and made her way towards the furthermost wall. This wall, unlike the others, was uneven, with smooth rocks jutting out at various angles. Dhaivhlia rested her hot forehead against the coolness of the rock and listened to the great Yyilict Falls rush outside to calm her. Resting one hand firmly on a rock and gripping her wrist with the other, Dhaivhlia furrowed her brow and concentrated as hard as she could.

Dhaivhlia opened her eyes. Nothing had changed. This was unsurprising. She had little control over how to reign her natural abilities- after her mother's death, her Grandfather did not want to risk exposure by having her trained. She had never been able to access her powers. Perhaps this was a good thing, she sometimes thought.

Drifting back over towards the desk, Dhaivhlia squatted down jovially in front of the voluminous tank that sat next to it and smiled. Her pet Celeslei ground python, Basil, gazed back at her.

"Hallo," Dhaivhlia said, squinting at him through the glass. "How's your day been?"

Basil blinked. Dhaivhlia nodded.

"Oh, nothing odd of the usual. I've been lumped into another 'meeting', again. I don't suppose you would like to come, would you?"

Basil tried to bury into a rock. Dhaivhlia stuck her tongue out at him.

"No? I don't blame you," she said, slipping into the desk chair. Resting her elbows on the desk, she gazed upwards at the many paintings she had pinned above her on the smooth, white wall. The matte painted eyes of Tony Stark gazed back at her, and Dhaivhlia sighed. She shifted her vision to focus on the gleaming silver _Stern_ embedded into the slim monitor. Was this her future, sitting behind a desk, gazing at what she would never have? The company would go to her brother indefinitely. Her Grandfather would never trust her with something as valuable as the technology that kept the island silent.

Or could he? Perhaps she didn't have the courage to try to escape. He could hand her the instructions on how to deactivate the island's barrier and she might as well just tuck them into a bookshelf. The island's inhabitants had such little knowledge of the world that lay outside their small land of life. Dhaivhlia doubted that they would even want to leave.

Perhaps things are best as they are, Dhaivhlia told herself as she made her way over to the workbench on which she had left her mother's pendant. Who would ever e brave enough to attempt to change things, anyway? Certainly not her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N There ya go, my loyal.. two readers? Enjoy!
> 
> Please, feel free to drop a lil' review, if you would be so kind. They mean all the world to me. Hope you all are safe in this hard time, and that we can return to normality sometime soon.
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I do hope you enjoyed it This is only an origin, a little bit of backstory for Dhaivhlia. The rest of the story will be present-day.
> 
> I hope you like the world I have created for you.
> 
> -HarrietSilverwynd


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